the beat room

> Twin Fantasy (Mirror to Mirror) by Car Seat Headrest

Genre: Lo-Fi Indie Rock | Year: 2011 | Review Date: 08/31/24
This album genuinely means so much to me. The entire album explores themes of teen love in its most raw and pure form as written and recorded by a 19 year-old Will Toledo. Songs like "Beach Life-In-Death" explore the bittersweet feeling of falling in love and all the secondary emotions that come with it, which I have not seen represented anywhere else so accurately. Start to finish, this album is a punch in the gut, with tracks like "Sober To Death" and "Twin Fantasy (Those Boys)" dropping tear-jerking lyrics and melodies that make you reflect on past relationships, with both rose and grey-tinted glasses.

Favorite Song: Beach Life-In-Death / Famous Prophets (Minds)

Favorite Lyric: "I haven't looked at the sun for so long // I'd forgotten how much it hurt to" // "The ocean washed over your grave" on Famous Prophets (Minds)

> Icedancer by Bladee

Genre: Cloud Rap | Year: 2018 | Review Date: 09/01/24
Those unfamiliar with Bladee's highly experimental sound may be quick to disregard this album and the rest of his discography (unfairly). However, Bladee and the rest of Drain Gang's sound has been an influence on many artists in the current underground and even mainstream rap scene, with artists like Playboi Carti and Travis Scott working in close collaboration with Yung Lean and his crew. This album features RipSquad production all-around with emotional and upbeat tracks like "Close" and "Be Nice 2 Me" respectively, leaving no shortage of diversity on this 43 minute mixtape.

Favorite Song: Linkdin

Favorite Lyric: "I don't wanna ruin your day, I just wanna know you're okay // Guess I'm more than okay when I be with you" on Close

> Frailty by Jane Remover

Genre: Hyperpop / Alternative | Year: 2021 | Review Date: 09/01/24
Frailty by Jane Remover carries all sorts of emotional baggage and isn't afraid to delve into issues like heartbreak, the complexity of familial love, and teenage depression. The album begins with possibly its most melancholic song "Goldfish", sung from the perspective of a concerned parent. All around, the entire album is synth-heavy and full of teenage angst, which some may view as immature or unrefined, but it provides a very unique sound that I personally love.

Favorite Song: Your Clothes / Let's Go Home

Favorite Lyric: "And why don't you respond to our texts? // You know, you have a family that loves you" on Goldfish

> Madvillainy by MF DOOM & Madlib

Genre: Rap | Year: 2004 | Review Date: 09/01/24
Undoubtedly the best (if not, one of the best) abstract hip-hop albums of all time. Rap legend MF DOOM and producer Madlib's collaboration album under the alias "Madvillain" pushes boundaries, with experimental production and lyricism (at the time) that hadn't really been very popular anywhere else. You've probably heard its most popular tracks "Fancy Clown", "Meat Grinder", or "All Caps" before, but the album is great everywhere in-between as well, so don't hesitate to give this 46 minute album a listen.

Favorite Song: Raid

Favorite Lyric: "Living off borrowed time, the clock tick faster // That'd be the hour they knock the slick blaster" on Accordion

> Exhibition Mode by Dazegxd

Genre: Electronic | Year: 2024 | Review Date: 09/01/24
You can tell how far Dazegxd has come if you decide to give his earlier releases a listen. Since 2019 and the release of his first mixtape "Daze's Game", Dazegxd has had plenty of time to develop his own style and aesthetic which is exemplified very well in this project. There aren't very many words I can use to describe this album because it's so unique, so I'd say if you're a fan of the genre (and even if you're not!) you should check out this release, because it's safe to say that no one else is doing it like him.

Favorite Song: hate it on your own // touch & kiss

Favorite Lyric: N/A; mostly instrumental

> BRAT by Charli XCX

Genre: Experimental Pop | Year: 2024 | Review Date: 09/01/24
This album is not "just a pop album", though it may seem like that at first glance. To Charli XCX, it's a highly personal album detailing her not-so-pleasant experiences with stardom, and the sound and style "BRAT" employs reflects that very nicely as it pushes back on industry standards. But you don't need to look very far into the nuance this album possesses to enjoy it, because like any pop album, there are many catchy tunes that you can turn your head off and enjoy.

Favorite Song: Talk talk

Favorite Lyric: "'Cause I don't know if I belong here anymore, I" on I might say something stupid

> i used to just cry about it by quinn

Genre: Rap | Year: 2023 | Review Date: 09/01/24
While I labeled this album as "Rap", the truth is, I don't know what to call it. If you're familiar with Quinn's past releases, you'll know that Quinn has pioneered her own sound that combines hyperactive sampling and an excessive amount of drum breaks and hi-hats. Like her previous releases "Quinn", "sf44", and "interstate185", i used to just cry about it is entirely unique and a breath of fresh air somewhat related to the rap genre, with a more depressing atmosphere than her previous albums.

Favorite Song: heart of coal

Favorite Lyric: "So I hope you know I miss you, but I think you should be dead" on heart of coal

> The Glow, Pt. 2 by The Microphones

Genre: Indie / Lo-Fi | Year: 2001 | Review Date: 09/01/24
The acoustic track on this album really makes me feel something. Similar in genre and subject to Car Seat Headrest's Twin Fantasy, The Glow, Pt. 2 explores topics of love and heartbreak, seen most clearly on tracks like "the Moon" and "Headless Horseman". While those two songs' lyrics are very direct in their meaning, the entire album is heavily conceptual and uses sound to convey a very immersive story. The outro track "My Warm Blood" is 10 minutes of mostly silence and heartbeats occasionally interrupted by faint interpolations of previous songs on the album to signify the feeling of death, or what Phil Elverum can only imagine it feels like.

Favorite Song: I Want Wind to Blow

Favorite Lyric: "I faced death, I went in with my arms swinging // But I heard my own breath // And I had to face that I'm still living" on the Glow pt. 2

> Wallsocket (Director's Cut) by Underscores

Genre: Indietronica | Year: 2023 | Review Date: 12/09/24
Wallsocket is arguably the most unique concept album of the 2020s. Set in a fictional rural town in michigan fabricated by the creative mastermind Underscores, this album traverses conflict concerning class, gender, and ambition through the the eyes of three young women. The entire album is centered around the horseshoe theory, exemplified by the album cover literally being a horseshoe and the significance of horses throughout the album. Lines like "we might be more alike than you think" on My guy (Corporate shuffle) also relate to this topic. Finally, the non-deluxe version of this album concludes with a very bittersweet departure from Wallsocket, leaving the small-town life behind and focusing on greater ventures. That is, until the final track of the Director's Cut, Stupid (Can't run from the urge), reveals that despite their physical separation from the town of Wallsocket, their upbringing will always be ingrained in their identities (See: "You can't take this town out of the girl").

Favorite Song: Stupid (Can't run from the urge)

Favorite Lyric: "And I haven't cried in seven years // Slumped in the cafe car, hiding my tears" on Good luck final girl

> The Colour And The Shape by Foo Fighters

Genre: Rock | Year: 1997 | Review Date: 12/23/24
I've had a few songs from this album on my playlist for a while now. You most likely know the ones. Monkey Wrench, Everlong, and My Hero, are some of the band's biggest hits, so I decided that if the album sounded anything like those songs, I would probably enjoy it. I'm not too familiar with Rock music as a whole nor would I consider myself to be a hardcore fan of Foo Fighters, but this album was a nice first impression of their discography and I'm excited to see what else they've made.

Favorite Song: Monkey Wrench / Up In Arms / See You

Favorite Lyric: "Together now, I don't know how this love could end // My lonely heart, it falls apart for you to mend" on Up In Arms